Truly, Madly, Sweetly

1. RHUBARB, RASP­BERRY AND ROSE WA­TER TRI­FLE (PG 58) This new take on tri­fle is be­yond tasty – but all the more so when paired with a glass of Beach House Hawke’s Bay Noble Chardon­nay 2016 375ml ($20). The in­tensely hon­eyed stone­fruit and cit­rus flavours lend some mag­i­cal, mar­maladey sweet­ness and zing to this dessert. It’s also per­fect with the nut­ti­ness of the pra­line. beach­house.co.nz

2. BERRY AND DARK CHOCO­LATE, MAS­CAR­PONE SWIRL ICE CREAM (PG 58) Here’s an idea. First, grab your­self a bot­tle of 8 Wired A Fist­ful Of Cher­ries Sour Ale 2017 500ml ($18.99) and en­joy the pure cherry and bis­cu­ity flavours and crisp, sour, toasty notes. Sec­ond, dish up a bowl of this crazy-good dessert. Third, pour some of the beer over your ice cream and won­der at how sen­sa­tional this brew­some two­some are. the­beer­li­brary.co.nz

3. CHERRY AL­MOND LAYER CAKE (PG 62) There are some amaz­ing flavour com­bos out there, but surely one of the great­est is cherry and al­mond. El­e­vate this cake into the strato­sphere with a glass of Pe­ga­sus Bay For­tis­simo Mus­cat 2016 375ml ($40). Its deep tof­fee, pot pourri and spice notes nuz­zle up nicely to this lus­cious cake. pe­ga­sus­bay.com

4. RASP­BERRY MERINGUES WITH LIME CURD (PG 62) Now this might sound odd, but as soon as I tasted the Zef­fer Cider Co. Al­co­holic Gin­ger Beer 500ml ($7.99) I knew it was a win­ning match. Brewed with gin­ger root and kawakawa, it’s a sub­tle yet flavour-packed drink with pil­lowy tex­ture to match the meringue. Fresh and frisky, it pairs per­fectly with the sweet tangi­ness of the lime curd. finewinede­liv­ery.co.nz